Omaha daily bee., 1887-11-17
THE ARIZONA DIAMOND FIELDS.
Wherein a Million Dollars Was Won
by Cunning and Fraud.

newspaper correspondents, lOunu my
self in little village of New Mexico.
IL was n pleasant spot, and / rested there
Il few days. Naturally in so small q
| place my advent was noted, and on the
second day Of my stay lad came to me
with the strange message that Jim Hag-
| gerty was dying and wanted TO see me.
| ! went to the small adobe pointed out,
but death had preceded me. The dead
man was indeed "Old Jim," as he was
familiarly called. had known
him well some years before in
California, whore he was n noted
| mining prospector, but had not met him
since. His worn and haggard face re-
called vividly TO my mind ''the great
protector. / had reported the affair ut
the time OF its occurrence, but briefly
because, great as was its magnitude in
the mighty flood of speculation which
then engulfed the Golden State, il was
but an episode in the passing show. The
story of the swindle has never been
written in full, think, and its recount
ing fills one OF the most interesting
pages in the history Of mining barons
! OF California.
Among the countless schemes TO
which the great banker Ralston. who
loved to be called the Financial king
VI Wiz "SihO Sottpb, ueNObtu no Slnall
share of the California bank, of which
he was president. was the exploiting of
mines in the Pyramid range of noun
| tains close to thesborder line which
divides Arizona from New Mexico.
This was in the early seventies when
speculation was rife and the discovery
| OF bonanzas an everyday event.
Among the employees of Ralston in the
Pyramid mines was one George Arnold,
n man OF meager education but bright
| and ambitious. In his shanty on the
wild mountain side and over his bacon
and beans, he was ever dreaming of
some plan that would bring Dame For
tune at his waiting feet. He saw men
making fortunes by a single cast of the
die, and losing them by single throw.
While yet dreaming his dream of
wealth there came to him the bright
| colored stories Of the great diamond
discoveries at Cape Colony. His teem-
| ing brain at once devised scheme
which, in its, way, equaled Lows South
| Sea Bubble. He had grown unscrup-
ulous in his desire and had become to
believe that with him, at least, the end
| justified the means.
The soil around the Pyramid district
was rich in color and had character
| enough to inaugurate any mining
able. So, with a comrade, Jim Hag-
gerty, with whom he had long been
| associated, Arnold made long tours over
the surrounding country. After a few
weeks of this kind of work he resigned
his place in the mines with the given
intention OF seeking the fairer fields of
Mexico.
He next turned up in San Francisco
in the fall of 1871. He Immediately
found Ralston. and even astonished that
bold operator by revealing that he had
discovered in Arizona rich diamond
fields as extensive as those of Cape
Colony. From the. gripsack he had
brought with him he poured forth
wondrous display of rough diamonds
which had been washed from the yield
soil OF the new find.
Ralston, ever ready for venture. es-
pecially one which promised such daz-
cling results, entered at once into a
proposed exploration,
or THE NEW DIAMOND FIELDS.
He introduced Arnold to several lead
ing capitalists who at once became enthu
siastic over the new Golconda. With
| the rapid action peculiar to Californians
| the clique who had been let into the Sc
cret immediatly determined to visit the
mines, and if found to be all right to
| the modest but snug sum of 81 .00O. 900.
Arnold reluctantly accepted the offer.
In due course of time the party of
| capitalists interested left San Fran cisco
| for the promised land. At Camp Raj
| ston, the headquarters of the Pyramid
| mining speculation the eager capitalists
were met by Arnold and Haggerty, the
| latter being introduced as a sort of
side partner, like the silent marines of
the admiral Of "H. M. S. Pinafore." +"
| The two worthless were to conduct Raj
| ston and his associates to the diamond
fields. The party was led by route as
| zig-zag as Il snake fence and as rough as
| corduroy road. Part of the way was
| along the Gila river TO where the Rio
| Prieto empties into it. AT this point the
eyes OF the iaded capitalistic visitors
were carefully blindfolded and their
animals were led by their guides for
some distance further. When they
| were permitted to see daylight again
| they were in the midst of clump of
| trees which stood on the rivers bank.
| They were given shovels and told to dig
anywhere about the clump of trees.
| Each of the visitors did so and each in
| turn brought forth one or more of the
precious stones they sought for. They
| were everywhere, and the millionaire
|
their hands softly, as though it was
sacred deposit.
| On their return to San Francisco the
| capitalists wished to form company.
In ten days it was accomplished. Ar
mold was paid his $1,0OO.OO0 and made
superintendent OF the new mines. He
at once made known tho
| LOCATION OF TIE DIAMOND FIELDS.
| and they were visited by several stock
holders in the company. Diamonds
were found by each and all of them, and
| all went merry as a marriage bell until
| Arnold skipped for the east.
1t was then thought best to call in an
| expert, and Professor King, the we'll
known geologist, was selected. He first
| discovered that the ground around the
| clump of trees on the bank of the Rio
Prieto had been cleverly ''saltcd," with
| refuse diamonds, such as may be cheaply
bought in the marts at Amsterdam. 1t
was also found that the diamonds found
by the capitalists had been tried at
Amsterdam, and, as Professor King
said: while diamonds may exist in
Arizona, it is hardly to be expected that
nature will produce them partly cut or
polished"